Aqua Allegoria Lys Soleia and Bouquet de Mai
APRIL 2012. Guerlain has issued several fragrances inspired by sunlight and exotic flowers, the so-called solar florals. This year's Aqua Allegoria will be one of them, probably the most exotic-smelling in the series so far. Called Lys Soleia, it's meant to evoke the feel of sun on the skin. Thierry Wasser is the nose behind it, and notes include lemon, palm leaves, ylang-ylang, lily, tropical fruit, tuberose, vanilla and white musk. The "bonus" Aqua Allegoria, sold only in duty-free shops, named Bouquet de Mai, features white flowers and pink pepper and is inspired by "early morning in Paris, freshness in a garden."
La Petite Robe Noire in wider distribution
MARCH 2012. Created in 2009, the delicious and chic licorice-cherry-muscinade-patchouli accord of La Petite Robe Noire was reserved for Guerlain boutiques among Les Exclusifs. The fragrance proved extremely popular, and now it has finally been decided to launch it more widely. It will be available worldwide in different sizes, 30, 50 and 75 ml EdP, along with a matching bath product. The dress pictograph has been altered slightly and the box design is changed. The fragrance formula has been adjusted a bit too, with less licorice (signalled by a brighter juice) and more emphasis on the classic Guerlinade accord. To promote the new fragrance, a charming animated ad campaign has been rolled out, devised by the Paris-based visual artist duo Kuntzel+Deygas. Watch the ad campaign...
Shalimar Parfum Initial L'Eau
FEBRUARY 2012. L'Eau versions seem to be the new thing chez Guerlain since Thierry Wasser took over. The term hints at his taste for fresher and greener interpretations of established scents. First came Guerlain Homme L'Eau, then Habit Rouge L'Eau, and now Shalimar Parfum Initial L'Eau. Shalimar Parfum Initial was from the outset a big hit, and with L'Eau, basically an EdT variant of the EdP release, we get extra citrusy top notes of bergamot, orange, grapefruit and neroli, along with a lighter, less rooty and softly powdery iris base. Gorgeous.
Guerlain Homme L'Eau Boisée
FEBRUARY 2012. If something is good, why not make other good variations of it? Guerlain Homme and its L'Eau variant both smelled excellent, and another appealing version now sees the light. Called L'Eau Boisée ("woody"), it takes as its starting point the L'Eau version, the simplicity of the Mojito accord's fresh citrus, mint and rum, and then adds a larger dose of vetiver essence, clear and mild, a new kind which Thierry Wasser found near Coimbatore in South India. The result is a drier, very classic gentleman's scent, explicitly green yet warm down below, already giving rise to glorious reviews. The bottle features a handsome wooden cap to go with the name.
Idylle Duet Jasmin & Lilas
JANUARY 2012. Thierry Wasser has made a second limited Duet version of his own beloved Idylle. The first Duet from last year was a dark and intense interpretation highlighting rose and patchouli, the two main pillars of the fragrance. This time, he focuses on the aspect of Idylle that smells like a florist shop and spring: lilac and jasmine. The feeling is bright, optimistic and fresh.
Myrrhe & Délires
JANUARY 2012. Two years after Tonka Impériale, the L'Art et la Matière line gets a new member by Thierry Wasser. During a trip to the Middle East, he fell in love with the ancient scent of myrrh, a material never used by Guerlain before. Apart from myrrh, the new fragrance has patchouli and licorice in its base. The new creation, beautifully named Myrrhe & Délires (the two words rhyme in French), is described as a very unique Guerlain perfume, not having the soft and sweet properties of the Guerlinade, but more of a mysterious and smoky oriental. Guerlain even compares it to the rare and sombre Djedi, the only completely unsweetened Guerlain perfume, but here modernized and made to smile by fruity notes of grapefruit, pear, apricot and rose. Guerlain also highlights the fact that Myrrhe & Délires has much more of a proper development curve than the previous L'Art et la Matière launches. As an aside note, Iris Ganache (2007) has been taken out of production and will be available only until existing stock ends.
Shalimar Midnight Blue
NOVEMBER 2011. This Christmas, Shalimar presents itself extra extravagantly. Baccarat has made a blue quadrilobe crystal bottle containing 500 ml, and Guerlain's "dames de table" have dressed it with a thick cord to seal it and brushed the tassel more voluminously than ever. The presentation, called "Shalimar Midnight Blue", is one of Guerlain's most beautiful for Shalimar since 1925. A very limited quantity of bottles are produced, containing either Shalimar Parfum (6.500 €) or Shalimar Parfum Initial EdP (6.000 €).
A gift for the man who has everything
NOVEMBER 2011. Among this year's special Christmas editions at Guerlain, one finds something for him: an exclusive perfume box set for the man who already has it all. The box set is made as a luxurious, dandified wood-and-leather cigar humidor containing two masculine fragrances, and two different sets are available, one with the Arsène Lupin fragrance duo, the other an Habit Rouge pairing of L'Extrait and Thierry Wasser's new L'Eau. Smoking isn't a welcome habit any more, but the French don't seem to care and Jean-Paul Guerlain probably even less. 2.500 €.
A perfume for the renovated Bolshoi theatre
OCTOBER 2011. The famous Bolshoi theatre in Moscow will reopen on October 28 after years of renovation. The 1825 building was damaged by fires and a Nazi bombing. The Communists used the theatre for party gatherings and expanded the hall, damaging the acoustics. In 2005, the theatre closed for reconstruction, now finally completed in its original design with tsarist insignia and additional underground stages. Guerlain is official sponsor of the theatre in 2011 and to celebrate the reopening day, the perfume Le Bolshoi is presented, 60 ml Eau de Parfum inside a quadrilobe atomizer. Only 400 bottles have been made to sell exclusively in Moscow. The fragrance is attributed to Jean-Paul Guerlain, and the notes listed — bitter orange, jasmine, ylang-ylang, violet leaf, musk, tonka bean, vanilla, incense — are those of Les Secrets de Sophie. It has not been officially confirmed, however, if Le Bolshoi is the same perfume relabelled. Around 16.000 roubles.
Fragrant bee jewellery
OCTOBER 2011. Guerlain has always stressed that its bottles should be pieces of art as beautiful, detailed and important as the scents themselves. How sad you must leave the bottle at home in the vitrine! For the first time, Guerlain presents a very luxurious way to actually wear the bottle. A jeweller and a watchmaker have been commissioned to create a piece of jewellery in the shape of a bee, the mythic Guerlain symbol, with diamonds and polished black onyx in a platinum setting, that holds a small container of Guerlain perfume. It can be worn as a brooch or a pendant, and its ingenious construction allows the wearer to make the wings open up and diffuse a small dose of fragrance by pushing an almond-shaped diamond on the bee's body. The piece is titled Le Secret de la Reine ("the queen's secret"). Made to order with your favourite fragrance.
Two dressed-up orientals
OCTOBER 2011. In keeping with tradition Guerlain dresses up its two big orientals for the coming Christmas season. Shalimar puts on a "Fourreau du Soir" (evening sheath dress), a black tulle veil printed on the bottle's hourglass figure with a leather ribbon and bow to accentuate the décolleté neck. 50 ml EdP. According to Guerlain, the inspiration comes from a true story: Madame Guerlain wearing an evening dress in lace aboard the Normandie ocean liner and an unknown perfume that made everyone talk, the new Shalimar. In the men's department, Habit Rouge goes "Habit de Cuir" with a refillable red leather case. 100 ml EdT. The two fragrances inside remain the same.
A weekend behind the scenes
OCTOBER 2011. For the weekend of October 15th and 16th, French luxury goods group LVMH invites visitors to explore the secrets of several of its houses, from Moët & Chandon and Dom Pérignon to Christian Dior, Guerlain and Louis Vuitton. Admission is free but tickets are very limited. For this occasion, Maison Guerlain has organized a busy programme including one-hour presentations by Thierry Wasser and Sylvaine Delacourte, conducted tours of vintage bottles, and lectures about Guerlain's raw materials and perfume accords. Read more...
Guerlain withdraws the "Dandy" name
SEPTEMBER 2011. Due to a copyright conflict, possibly with D'Orsay's Le Dandy, the name of Arsène Lupin Dandy has been changed into only Arsène Lupin. All bottles bearing the "Dandy" name have been withdrawn from stock. The design of the bottle is unaltered, and the name of Arsène Lupin Voyou also stays the same.
London, the fourth capital fragrance
SEPTEMBER 2011. Guerlain's line of tributes to the world's great cities, "Une ville, un parfum" aka the Voyage collection, now gets London on the map. Moscou was brisk air, Tokyo tender greens, and New York warm Christmas. So what does London smell like? Guerlain's Thierry Wasser chose sugared rhubarb, so dear to the British in various desserts, combined with violet and a flavour of English boiled sweets, acidulous and fruity, plus drier notes of black tea, vetiver and cedarwood. On the occasion, the jumbo bottles have been downsized to 100 ml rectangular sprayers, redesigned with a city scene motif — Guerlain concluded that a Voyage fragrance too big for a toiletry bag isn't logical. To compensate, all four fragrances in the line are modified into Eaux de Parfum, sold for 150 Euros.
Idylle Eau Sublime
SEPTEMBER 2011. It almost seems like Thierry Wasser's Idylle derivatives will never stop. Idylle Eau Sublime is the fifth incarnation of the Idylle theme, yet only the first widely available flanker after the limited edition Idylle Duet. While the latter was marked by a warm rosy intensity, Eau Sublime sees into lightness and the feeling of water. For this effect, Wasser used rose water, the liquid left over from distilling rose oil. Rose water has a distinct, slightly soapy scent, often used to flavour food and sweets in India and the Arab world. Eau Sublime adds lychee and peach for a luscious, fruity sparkle. Available as 70 ml and 100 ml EdT.
Idylle Parfum
AUGUST 2011. The much anticipated Parfum version of Idylle is now being released. The fresh flowers of the Idylle fragrance have been significantly toned down to only contain freesia, and heart and base are put into focus. The rose note is intensified by addition of rose absolutes together with raspberry and lychee fruit, and the base is a whole new reworking with the precious ambrette material, balsamic, sensual and animalic. Sold in an extremely cute 10 ml flacon.
Wasser revisits Habit Rouge
AUGUST 2011. "I love his fragrances, my first fragrance was Habit Rouge," said Thierry Wasser about his mentor Jean-Paul Guerlain, and now he has had the chance to put his own touch on this classic masculine. Wasser made Habit Rouge L'Eau which is a softer, easy-to-wear and less contracted adaptation of the original, with notes of hazel and jasmine. Delicately fresh and slightly musky, it seems obvious that Wasser did it while working on Cologne du Parfumeur. The woodier Habit Rouge Sport will still be available alongside the new L'Eau.
La Petite Robe Noire Modèle No.2
AUGUST 2011. Guerlain's little black dress, La Petite Robe Noire, a boutique exclusive from 2009, divided the audience. There were those who found the name to be a Chanel knockoff, and the fragrance, a confection of licorice, almond and berries, to be pink rather than black. And then there were those who bought it and loved it: It was literally flying off the shelves. Its success soon made it a staple house fragrance chez Guerlain, to the extent that it's now joined by a second dress model. The new Petite Robe Noire is designed by Thierry Wasser and is less tangy-berry and more powdery-floral with orange blossom, iris and marshmallow, "infinitely delicate and perfectly sweet". No licorice (the only "black" note in the first Robe Noire) but with galbanum and a soft leather note to accompany the white musks. Still presented in the heart-shaped stopper atomizer, now with a new dress model printed on the front and, yes, a pinker juice. 50 ml EdP.
Bee with gold wings
JULY 2011. Last year, Guerlain issued in collaboration with Baccarat crystal works an extremely exclusive perfume creation called L'Abeille ("the bee"). The scent evoked a honeyed summer garden and the bottle an immense stylized bee with crystal wings. Self-confidently stating that "we have only one rule: the exceptional," Guerlain now presents to collectors a second, even more sumptuous Abeille. Thierry Wasser has composed a classical and sensual floral fragrance, named Paradis Interdit ("forbidden paradise"), of mandarin, pink pepper, gardenia, ylang-ylang, jasmine, labdanum and musk, all enveloped in the bee-inspired honey note. The bottle has kept the same shape but with 18 carat gold leaf laid into the wings, glittering behind the faceted handblown crystal. Appropriately, the presentation is called L'Abeille aux Ailes Or ("bee with gold wings"). 57 pieces worldwide, 245 ml Parfum, 17.000 €. See the promotional material...
Maison Guerlain expands
JUNE 2011. Last year, Guerlain announced an expansion of the renovated Maison at Champs-Élysées, but it was postponed at the last minute. Now it begins! Guerlain has overtaken the 100 square metres on the ground floor of the building just left to the boutique entrance where a restaurant once resided, and as a prelude converted the space into a temporary concept store that will be open during summer. Designed to replicate a "workshop" atmosphere, at once sophisticated, playful and relaxed, the idea is to let people test, try and sniff everything Guerlain, perfumes, make-up and skincare.
Floral Romantique
JUNE 2011. The collection of Elixirs Charnels devoted to feminine fragrance families — oriental, chypre, gourmand, boisé — is now complemented with what is perhaps the most well-known of categories, a floral. Thierry Wasser has made Floral Romantique, a very luminous and sensual composition of orange blossom, jasmine, lily, tiare, ylang-ylang and carnation. Up top are mandarin and grassy yerba mate, while the base has the almost edible gourmand touch of the Elixir line, here benzoin, ambrette and chestnut, only turned drier and saltier with cedarwood and smoked tea.
This year's Muguet
MAY 2011. Guerlain's yearly Muguet fragrance is back. The house began in 1998 to reissue a limited portion of Jacques Guerlain's old Muguet each year the 1st of May under the motto "Un jour, un parfum" ("one day, one perfume"), for it is a tradition in France to buy and give this flower the first day of May as a symbol of spring and return of happiness. The fragrance wasn't released in 2010 though — maybe it took too long to find an IFRA compliant formula. If so, it was worth the wait, because it smells as clear and jubilant as ever. Mainly a collector's item, this year's model features a 100 ml square bottle with a square stopper and a felty label with hand-painted lilies of the valley.
The Aqua Allegorias 2011
APRIL 2011. This year's Aqua Allegoria is once more about Guerlain's beloved jasmine flower. Jasminora is as tender and retro as its Belle Epoque name suggests, a floral in the fresh end of the spectrum with galbanum, freesia and lily of the valley. And of course jasmine. Two additional scents have been made, sold as limited editions. Rosa Blanca is a luminous rose fragrance, in the style of Nuit d'Amour but less powdery. The second extra is Bouquet No.2, an even fruitier floral than last year's Bouquet No.1. 
Shalimar
Parfum Initial
MARCH 2011. "Parfum Initial" is actually a misleading name, since this is neither a Parfum nor any first version. It's actually the very latest flanker to old Shalimar, after the Light and Ode à la Vanille variants. So instead think of its name as alluding to the Shalimar ad soundtrack, Serge Gainsbourg's Guerlain-referencing 1968 hit fanfare "Initials B.B.". Well, and to Guerlain's stated aim to promote a "Mon Premier Shalimar", a beginner's version for the follower in spe. Shalimar is certainly a fun creature to play with: she can be fresh, she can be dark, or tender, or overpowering — the different ways of reinterpreting this legendary perfume seem inexhaustible. The new creation was like Ode à la Vanille developed by Thierry Wasser, reportedly at the request of his niece who wanted a more contemporary Shalimar. The result is a luminous floral amber scent, with extra rose, jasmine and orris. Besides tonka bean and vanilla, the base includes white musk, providing a warm, slightly carnal cashmere effect. The juice has got a new blush rose tint, the sole most debated detail about the fragrance prior to its release. Its bottle is a slightly taller and slenderer version of the new Shalimar atomizer, sold as 40 ml, 60 ml and 100 ml EdP.
Vetiver returns to its good old bottle
FEBRUARY 2011. After ten years with a young and independent look for the old staple Vetiver, it seems that Guerlain has had second thoughts, because the fragrance is now moved back into the noble and much-loved "Habit Rouge bottle". In 2000, Robert Granai was asked to modernize the Vetiver presentation and give it its own distinct design. He created a masculine and solid bottle ribbed with irregular lines, very suiting for the rugged, rooty fragrance. It looked great, but the more conservative of Vetiver's fans didn't like the change and felt that it was too frivolous, for this the most classic of Guerlain's gentleman's scents. Whether Guerlain heeded the complaints or not, we don't know, but it's a fact that Vetiver returns to its timeless design, an honour simultaneously given to Vetiver Extrême (deservedly or not). Just when the ribbed bottle was becoming a new classic…
Idylle Duet: rose and patchouli
FEBRUARY 2011. After the more fresh floral EdT version of Idylle, the time has now come for an exclusive limited edition flanker of the fragrance. Since Idylle's launch in 2009, its advertised signature has been the marriage of Bulgarian rose and Indonesian patchouli, a combination that is at once dewy and dry, lush and earthy. Thierry Wasser now highlights these two signature ingredients in a new edition called "Duet" to make a dramatic presentation of the perfume's romantic idea. In addition to that, moss replaces white musk for a darker feel. The result is a more classic rose perfume. A limited number of teardrop-shaped bottles are sold in the same kind of box as that of Shalimar Ode à la Vanille, 50 ml and 35 ml Eau de Parfum.
Cherry Blossom goes West
JANUARY 2011. All of a sudden, the once so plentiful and proud Parisienne line seemed to go down hill: Attrape Cœur and Philtre d'Amour went out of production and the masculine "Parisiens" going astray towards square-bottled territory. Nuit d'Amour, an exclusive 2006 launch, came to the rescue as a Parisienne revival in October 2010, but the line could still only count four feminine fragrances, too meagre to be called a collection. Now, yet another former one-off Jean-Paul Guerlain fragrance is installed in the line: Cherry Blossom EdT. Not to be confused with the 2009 Aqua Allegoria Cherry Blossom, it was originally a Japan-only release from 2000, created as both Parfum and EdT, with green tea, cherry and lemon to celebrate Japan's famous cherry blossom season in April. Japanese spring has gone West, joining Mayotte, Vetiver pour Elle, Nuit d'Amour and Liu. 125 ml including removable atomizer, 180 €. 
Guerlain gets a whole masculine exclusive line:
Les Parisiens join Arsène Lupin
JANUARY 2011. The line Les Parisiennes used to contain three "Parisiens", masculine fragrances. In order to give them a more distinctly masculine look more appealing to the average man than that of the decorated small bee bottles, these have now been moved into square wooden framed bottles that fit Jean-Paul Guerlain's two Arsène Lupin fragrances. Hence, a whole line of masculine exclusives has emerged: Derby EdT, Chamade pour Homme EdT, L'Âme d'un Héros EdT (formerly Coriolan), Arsène Lupin Dandy EdP and Arsène Lupin Voyou EdP. 100 ml cost 165 €, quite a bit more expensive per volume than the Parisiens used to be.
Hong Kong afternoon tea inspired by Guerlain
DECEMBER 2010. Hong Kong's MO Bar at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental has devised an exclusive Christmas afternoon tea inspired by Guerlain fragrances and make-up. The chic hotel bar is located in the same building as Guerlain's Hong Kong boutique, and inspired by the "Collection Les Ors" featuring Guerlain's bee emblem, the menu is modelled around the iconic Guerlain range. Sous Chef Sidney Schutte explains: "We started off with the Or Imperial Sublime Radiant Powder which has a beautiful gold shimmer and we created a zabaglione sponge cake and clementine and walnut macaroon in these tones." HK$325 including champagne and a small Guerlain gift, available throughout December. Read more...
Unfortunate public remark ends Jean-Paul Guerlain's career
OCTOBER 2010. What was probably meant as an ironic remark by Jean-Paul Guerlain ended up infuriating anti-racism groups and the entire perfume blogosphere because of racial suggestions. During an interview by French television channel France 2 on October the 15th, he talked about the creation of his perfume Samsara. "Pour une fois, je me suis mis à travailler comme un nègre. Je ne sais pas si les nègres ont toujours tellement travaillé, enfin..." The phrase "travailler comme un nègre" is an old French saying which was not originally racist but referred to the exploitation of workers, meaning something like "to slave away". However, Jean-Paul Guerlain's joking addition in many ears connoted derogatory colonial attitudes, very unbecoming of this well-travelled and cultivated old gentleman perfumer. The inconsiderate remark was dropped only a few days after the launch of his new book "Parfums d'Amour" in which he praises "the human relationship". Guerlain issued an apology following the broadcast, saying: "My words do not reflect in any way my profound thoughts but are due to an inopportune misspeaking which I vividly regret." He also expressed concern that his words might damage the company's image and pointed out that he is no longer a shareholder or employee of the company. The Guerlain website states in a communique that "his remarks are contrary to the culture, values and ethics practiced by the company who promotes the diversity of talents originating from all over the world." The company has immediately cancelled its contract with Jean-Paul Guerlain as consultant and mentor, and it leaves Thierry Wasser in full charge of the house. "I admire his career, I love his fragrances, my first fragrance was Habit Rouge which he made. He's my hero. It's not easy. It's not the best way to leave your professional career, and it is painful for me too," Wasser told in a BBC interview. "We have a very sensitive relationship, and this has absolutely nothing to do with it." Read more...
Les Parisiennes now include
Nuit d'Amour
OCTOBER 2010. Guerlain's exclusive line Les Parisiennes is dedicated to revivals of earlier one-off Jean-Paul Guerlain creations, but it had to wait four years to receive Nuit d'Amour, a 2006 limited Parfum, back then presented in a quadrilobe bottle that featured a Belle Époque collar of jet glass beads with a cameo medallion. It was also distributed as a less costly Eau de Parfum, and it is this version that is now available again, this time in the small bee bottle. Nuit d'Amour never obtained wide acclaim, but Les Parisiennes have recently lost Attrape Cœur and Philtre d'Amour due to IFRA restrictions, and Nuit d'Amour enters by way of consolation. The fragrance, a rosy plushy oriental with fruity overtones, was inspired by the tango clubs of Buenos Aires. Gustav Klimt's portrait "Lady with Hat and Feather Boa" also influenced it with its erotic 1909 society redhead in a fur coat. The notes include lychee, Provence rose, pink peppercorn, aldehydes, violet, orris, sandalwood, and musk. 125 ml including bulb atomizer, 180 €. For this release, the Parisienne bee bottle has been redressed with a pink ribbon to support breast cancer awareness. 
New book by Jean-Paul Guerlain
OCTOBER 2010. About the time when Jacques Guerlain retired, he told his grandson Jean-Paul, future master perfumer, that "you always create perfumes for the woman with whom you live and whom you love." Since then, Jean-Paul Guerlain has always linked his creations to love, being in love with or wooing a woman. He has now written a book titled "Parfums d'Amour" about the love affairs behind his most loved perfumes. Unlike the 2002 autobiography Les Routes de Mes Parfums, which was written as general reflections on his work, notably his many travels for raw materials, Parfums d'Amour is more of a journal themed around his specific creations. In it, he reveals some of the intimate secrets behind Samsara, Spiritueuse Double Vanille, Nuit d'Amour, Cherry Blossom, Habit Rouge, Vetiver and Vetiver pour Elle. "This book was born from a desire to share with you the creative Guerlain philosophy which prefers the human relationship to market analyses," his preface explains. Since the book centres around Guerlain's eternal love for vanilla, a 15 ml bottle of Spiritueuse Double Vanille is included. La Maison Guerlain held a press release book signing the 30th of September. French edition, 58 €, limited to 1400 numbered copies. Read more...
Arsène Lupin, dandy and rascal
OCTOBER 2010. 73-year-old Jean-Paul Guerlain is still an active perfumer. He visits the Guerlain factory once a week to work on his own creations, and for a long period, he has been working on what ended up being two new fragrances for men, his first masculine since Coriolan back in 1998. Three years ago, prior to the launch of Wasser's Guerlain Homme, the French newspaper Le Figaro reported that Jean-Paul Guerlain had "been preparing a new perfume for men during the last months" and since then, Guerlainophiles have eagerly awaited the result. Now it's here, comprising a duo called "Arsène Lupin" since it's inspired by Maurice Leblanc's twenty volume book series about the fictional gentleman thief of the same name. In Francophone countries, the Arsène Lupin character, invented in 1905, has enjoyed a popularity as long-lasting and considerable as Sherlock Holmes in the English-speaking world. The two new perfumes, launched as exclusive Eaux de Parfum, are meant to reflect the two-faced personality of Arsène Lupin, the dandy and the rascal. Arsène Lupin Dandy is described as a gallant, sophisticated oriental leather fragrance with notes of pink pepper, cardamom, violet, labdanum, leather and patchouli, at once powdery and dry. Arsène Lupin Voyou is more of a vivacious woody aromatic with a bitter orange and mugwort opening that turns warm and sweet of rose, sandalwood, benzoin and musk. Both scents are very refined and chic, not sharing the saturated, raspy style that Jean-Paul Guerlain has been noted for (think Vetiver, Habit Rouge, Héritage, Coriolan), and housed in contemporary-looking bottles with wooden frames, equally unusual for Guerlain. 165 € for 100 ml. Read more...
Shalimar Ode à la Vanille
OCTOBER 2010. The vast Guerlain catalogue allows for an endless list of anniversaries, and 2010 marks the 85th one of Shalimar's launch. As if it wasn't enough with the sleek new look of its bottle, Shalimar also receives a new olfactory orchestration that, maybe needless to say, pays homage to vanilla, the most cherished and fetishized of the Guerlain notes and the building block of Shalimar. Appropriately called Ode à la Vanille, this reworking is composed by Thierry Wasser who explores the gourmand potential of the legendary fragrance with more luxurious and silky vanilla, an intensified and rather dark vanilla infusion boozed-up with heady jasmine and reminiscent of brown cacao liqueur. The composition includes both a vanilla tincture from Mayotte, where Jean-Paul Guerlain owns plantations, and a vanilla absolute from Madagascar. At the same time, Wasser has minimized what is by many considered the hallmark of classic Shalimar, those swaying, jazzy notes of powder and musk. The result is a less low-cut Shalimar, a dessert that is more serious and elegant, at once less sweet and more substantial. A beautifully packaged limited edition 50 ml Eau de Parfum, 86 €. Read more...
L'Abeille de Guerlain
SEPTEMBER 2010. 1853: Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain presents his Eau de Cologne to the French empress in a bottle shaped like a beehive and covered with 69 gilded bees — the Napoleonic emblem of efficiency and productivity. 2010: the bee is more central than ever in Guerlain's presentation designs, honoured as the symbol that links new creations to the House's proud history. This year's exclusive Guerlain launch is ultra-exclusive. Guerlain has asked Baccarat to manufacture the biggest perfume bottle ever done by the distinguished crystal works firm, an immense handblown crystal sculpture in the shape of a more than thirty centimetre tall bee with wings as faceted as diamonds. Destined for only the most affluent collectors, L'Abeille de Guerlain, or the Guerlain bee, was fashioned by jewellery designer Lorenz Bäume who is also behind the look of Rouge G lipstick cases. Just 46 numbered pieces have been made, each one containing 245 ml of Parfum at the luxurious price of 12.500 Euros. The juice is composed by Thierry Wasser who explains that he has tried to "view a garden from a bee's perspective", sweet pollen, chlorophyllous greens (that vegetal accord that by now has become Wasser's hallmark), a blend of sunny flowers: mimosa, orange blossom, jasmine. Wasser also used a note of golden honey which "marries so well with summer flowers". While he admits that this mix risks smelling syrupy thick if treated badly, he assures us that his creation "flies like an angel, diffuses without suffocating, twines around the marvellous orris, so precisely powdery". The result is as classic as it is narcotic, not unlike Jean-Paul Guerlain's Les Secrets de Sophie or Jacques' Candide Effluve, or even Wasser's own Flora Nymphéa. L'Abeille has jasmine intense and carnal, it's hazily powdered, with the illuminating, slightly innocent effect of mimosa, and with a honey that indeed is not too sweet, but aromatically herbal and buoyant.
Jade Jagger designs new bottle for Shalimar EdP
SEPTEMBER 2010. Considering Guerlain's usual speed of creativity, this summer has been fairly quiet. A new renovation of the Maison Guerlain had been planned to begin in June (a very thorough one, leaving only the gilded walls from the 2005 renovation), but in the last minute it was rescheduled for later. In retaliation, Guerlain announced a very busy autumn. The House always seems to have an anniversary to celebrate and in 2010, it's been 85 years since Shalimar was presented to the public for the first time. Time for a new bottle design! Guerlain openly admits that the smooth "bat-shaped" design of the Shalimar atomizers wasn't the most successful, and designer Jade Jagger was commissioned to create a new look for it. Her aura of bohemian rock & roll seemed perfect to unite nostalgia and hipness in an updated Shalimar vessel. In the new design, so far only made for the Eau de Parfum atomizer, Jade Jagger goes back to Raymond Guerlain's iconic Art Deco idea of an urn or fountain on a pedestal, but with lines more fluid and simple — since its inception in 1986, the EdP has had three different bottles but never a foot (see illustration). The foot on Jagger's bottle is proportionally diminished as to make the urn seem even more imposing, and the stopper has simplified, stylized chunky lines like a Photoshopped blue jewel. The new Shalimar bottle comes in 30, 50 and 90 ml EdP. As an anniversary bonus, 182 bottles (a number concordant with the House's 182nd birthday) of a special 20 ml Parfum version have been distributed worldwide. For the price of 1.200 Euros, you get a piece of design each decorated with a genuine sapphire engraved with the "G" symbol. In order to avoid any confusion, it should be pointed out that the original Parfum bottle is neither changed nor discontinued. Read more...
Idylle Eau de Toilette
AUGUST 2010. Thierry Wasser has now made his "mist of flowers" of Idylle from last year even more floral and romantic. A new reformulated Eau de Toilette successor is launched, and its floral bouquet is fresher, greener and more naked than in the Eau de Parfum, and neroli has been added. Also the heralded Bulgarian rose blend is of a brighter variety, while patchouli — Idylle's "chypre sensuality" — has been toned down and lit up by ylang-ylang, lending "a sensual and natural colour to the fragrance, the aroma of cashmere on the skin and a warm voluptuous sensation."
The fifth generation
Guerlain Cologne
MAY 2010. Guerlain is mainly celebrated for its richly adorned perfumes, but the house also takes great pride in its line of "Eaux", fresh and short-lived colognes made from citrus and herbs. It was after all Eau de Cologne Impériale that earned founder Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain his fame in 1853, and it has since been a sort of compulsory rite of passage for the next perfumer in succession to create his own Eau. Thirty-six years after Jean-Paul Guerlain's sublimely aromatic Eau de Guerlain, it's Thierry Wasser's turn to prove himself worthy to be included in the historical Cologne club as fifth generation. Given the name Cologne du Parfumeur, it oozes of self-esteem: "Originally, I created this Cologne for myself," Thierry Wasser explains. "I composed it at the same time as Idylle, it was my downtime. I wanted a Cologne in the tradition of the great classics but with a modern twist." Like Flora Nymphéa, it includes time-honored orange blossom, but here very grassy green and citrusy, and with a contemporary sweet and musky background. As to officially inscribe Thierry Wasser's name in the Guerlain tale, all five Eaux have been relabelled with each perfumer's signature below the fragrance name. Read more...
Flora Nymphéa and Bouquet No.1
MARCH 2010. March and April means spring approaching and the emergence of new Aqua Allegorias, Guerlain's tender fragrance line inspired by flowers, herbs and citruses. Since the line's conception in 1999 by botany lover Jean-Paul Guerlain, various perfumers have been interpreting the scent of spring. This year's Allegoria launches are composed by the man who also made idyllic Idylle, in-house perfumer Thierry Wasser. First an airy watercolour floral called Flora Nymphéa, described as poetic and romantic in an impressionist "Belle Epoque" style, centred around Philadelphus flower, orange blossom, honey, red fruits and musk. Philadelphus is also called "poets' jasmine" and smells deliciously of lilac, orange blossom and anise, but in perfumery, it only exists as a reconstructed fragrance. The second Allegoria is released as a travel exclusive and named Bouquet No.1, a quite classic flower fragrance with jasmine, peach and a green twist of freshly cut grass. Incidentally, the whole line's box and label has been redesigned this year with a focus on Guerlain's bee symbol. Read more...
Tonka Impériale
FEBRUARY 2010. Guerlain's ever-expanding line of artful raw material highlights — L'Art et la Matière — received its seventh member the 1st of February. This time, the matter in focus is the tonka bean, that small South American chocolate-brown "bean", actually the dried stone of a fruit containing coumarin, smelling so deliciously of almond, honey, wood, vanilla and hay, and used for ages for its balsamic and sweet-warm scent in various dessert dishes, in tobacco and in fragrance. Since Jicky, coumarin has been on the Guerlinade palette and included in almost each and every Guerlain perfume. With Tonka Impériale, the dessert chef Guerlain, this time in-house perfumer Thierry Wasser, pays tribute to this fetishized ingredient alone, only accompanied by notes that accentuates the tonka bean's natural facets plus rosemary to add spicy freshness, in a mildly sweet and charmingly aromatic Eau de Parfum smelling somewhere between gingerbread and chocolate. The result will delight both men (its herbal-woody accord) and women (the velvety balsam of tonka bean). Tonka Impériale is maybe the "most Guerlain" of this "modern niche" line: it has the emblematic reminiscence of Jicky, just modernized as more pleasingly straight-out gourmand. 
Thierry Wasser et al. declare war on strict IFRA regulations
JANUARY 2010. For several years, perfume aficionados have smelled their favourite classic scents being changed, and the Mitsouko-without-oakmoss case has been intensely debated on various perfume blogs, along with news about the very recent discontinuation of Attrape Cœur and Philtre d'Amour. Many people have been thinking that the perfume houses were abandoning their customers' loyal devotion but now, the perfumers themselves chime in. In a very outspoken article in Le Monde they declare war on the regulations of the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) that become stricter and stricter each year. One of the protesters is Guerlain's in-house nose Thierry Wasser: "We sell perfumes of which the oldest is over 150 years old. If some day Brussels doesn't want rose essence any longer, what am I to do? There is rose in almost all our perfumes... It is a heritage we need to defend." He adds: "Jean-Paul Guerlain had created Parure for his mother. We had to discontinue it because we could no longer use the ingredients necessary to make it. It's a heartbreak."
Parturition of Shalimar
DECEMBER 2009. For Christmas 2009, the tireless Shalimar once more gives name to a limited edition. French sculptor Serge Mansau, who designed the luxurious raindrop-and-leaf presentation of Quand Vient la Pluie, has created an unusual sculpture called "Naissance Shalimar Guerlain" representing the "birth" of this legendary perfume. Set in a Plexiglas base, four empty Baccarat crystal bottles become apparent, each one revealing a little more of itself than the bottle before it. The fifth bottle is full of perfume and stands loose. The bottles are of the rare 20 ml format, all vintage, produced in the 1930s, whereas the juice is freshly made. 19 pieces, 5000 €. 
Mitsouko turns ninety
NOVEMBER 2009. La Grande Dame Mitsouko turns ninety this year, and to celebrate her birthday, Guerlain has produced fourteen 450 ml Baccarat crystal bottles filled with the Parfum of Jean-Paul Guerlain's Fleur de Lotus edition. This version added a tender, spring-like floral-green heart to the legendary autumnal formula, and it has been quite well-received by even the most devoted Mitsouko-followers. The bottle's neck is decorated with jade and pearls. Circa 4800 €.
A French kiss called Boisé Torride
OCTOBER 2009. Without the bodily odour of Jicky and the delicious cherry pie scent of L'Heure Bleue, Guerlain would perhaps never have been called "racy" or "gourmand". But exist they do, and without blushing Guerlain has associated and marketed itself with all things erotic and edible for more than a century. But never more explicitly than in the small collection called Les Elixirs Charnels from last year, "carnal fluids" that each celebrates an olfactory family — oriental, chypre, gourmand. "Elixir" usually means a sweet flavoured liquid containing alcohol used in compounding medicines, and the scents in the collection have a boozy-sweet quality, warm, rich and intoxicating, that fits this term. Now a fourth fragrance has joined the trio, this time portraying the woody family: Boisé Torride. Perhaps the only necessary introduction is to say that the nearly-identically sounding "un baiser torride" in French means a burning hot kiss! Guerlain boldly calls it "a new expression of eroticism", namely androgyny, using traditionally masculine woody essences like cedar and patchouli. The sugary and culinary aspect is given by pink berries and — hold on! — marshmallow harmony. 75 ml Eau de Parfum spray.
Idylle - a florist's young fantasy
SEPTEMBER 2009. Thierry Wasser's first big feminine launch has been long in the making and anticipated with much curiosity. Its name has been known for quite a while: Idylle, suggesting young and romantic fantasies. According to the ad, "Thierry Wasser composed his bouquet like a florist, with a light, exuberant touch, to encapsulate the idea of the idyll, a joyous, lighthearted romance." Albeit built on the new incarnation of the old signature accord, the so-called Muscinade, Idylle is a pause from the gourmand Guerlain launches of recent years, featuring lily of the valley, lilac, freesia, peony, jasmine and Bulgarian rose communelle. Classified as a chypre but much more florally delicate than the oldies, Mitsouko, Sous le Vent and Chant d'Arômes, although a prominent patchouli base gives it quite some character. Young French designer Ora-Ito is behind the bottle, shaped like a "a tear of joy and feminine happiness". Available in 35, 50 and 100 ml Eau de Parfum spray. Read more...
Guerlain Homme Eau de Parfum
AUGUST 2009. Although the Mojito accord of Guerlain Homme was specifically created for those men who "don't feel comfortable with 'round' or sensual fragrances", Guerlain one year later launches an Eau de Parfum version, a label that doesn't immediately stand for freshness and could risk to frighten those same men. But don't fear: it has more rum and warmer wood, but the overall conservative impression of greenery remains unchanged. The really good news: matte black metal and smoked glass is an extremely handsome combination. Read more...
Sylvaine Delacourte talks to Perfume Shrine
JULY 2009. In recent years, or more precisely since the "hostile takeover" by giant LVMH, Guerlain has been fiercely accused by die-hard fans of corruptly and secretly reducing standards and debasing the house's proud traditions. Sylvaine Delacourte, rising from makeup artist to artistic director chez Guerlain, has been bearing the brunt of most attacks, but as to disprove them always reacting with attentive openness and eagerness to discuss on various blogs, including her own, Esprit de Parfum. She now talks to Perfume Shrine, a very active and informative perfume blog, about her thoughts on Guerlain devotees' worries and dissatisfactions. "We have to conform to IFRA regulations of course and as you know those change often. It is much more complex for Guerlain than other brands, because the brand is 181 years old and you can imagine that some old raw materials have disappeared," she explains. "We have to find good substitutes. So it's a huge permanent work. But be assured that our perfumer Thierry Wasser works on this very carefully and is aware of the latest discovery of new raw materials that could be interesting as good substitutes of some components." Read more...
Les Secrets de Sophie
JUNE 2009. French jewellery designer Sophie Lévy has created a small ornament — a cut stone with a padlock and its key as a symbol of love — to decorate a new limited edition Eau de Parfum by Jean-Paul Guerlain. Called Les Secrets de Sophie, it comes in a 60 ml version of the historic quadrilobe bottle, and the stone can be had in black, rose pink or mother-of-pearl, respectively named Secrets Noirs, Secrets Poudrés and Secrets Nacrés. The scent is described as a rich white floral softened by violet and incense. 300 €.
Jean-Paul Guerlain's student
MAY 2009. The renowned design magazine Wallpaper has interviewed Jean-Paul Guerlain and Thierry Wasser about how to mentor a new in-house perfumer of a legendary house — and how one learns to be both renewing and true to the Guerlain tradition. Jean-Paul Guerlain had to prove his own talent when the successor of Jacques Guerlain — creator of L'Heure Bleue, Mitsouko and Shalimar — was pointed out: "We had a problem with daffodil oil because there was a severe frost and the harvest was poor. My grandfather told me to try and create one. When he smelt what I had done he thought I had cheated and found some daffodil oil somewhere, because it smelt so authentic. He made me do it again to be sure. That's when he rang my father and said it is your youngest son, not your eldest who will succeed me." Right now, Thierry Wasser is spending his time as Jean-Paul Guerlain's student: "I would like to be patient, and humble enough to be like M Guerlain." Read more...
Three cities, three fragrances
MAY 2009. Guerlain loves trios — and travelling. This year, the house launches a collection called "Une ville, un parfum", three Eaux de Toilette inspired by and named after major capitals: Moscou, New York and Tokyo. The Moscou fragrance wants us to feel the spicy, brisk atmosphere of the Russian city with lemon, red currant, absinthe, plum, pine needles, tonka bean and white musk. In New York, we find Manhattan's Christmas scents of vanilla, cinnamon, tangerine, cardamom and cedarwood. And finally in Tokyo, the light, crisp Asian breeze of violet, jasmine, Hinoki cypress and green tea. Available in Guerlain boutiques in cylindrical 250 ml bottles, 157 € each. Read more...
New Aqua Allegorias
APRIL 2009. This year's Aqua Allegorias are two odes to spring: Cherry Blossom and Tiaré-Mimosa. Cherry Blossom is described as "aerial", a dry and slightly aldehydic scent of tender cherry blossom, bergamot, fleshy peach and green tea, more or less a reedition of the 1999 Japanese market launch. Tiaré-Mimosa is labelled as a "solar floral", opening on sparkly and bright notes of citruses and pink pepper before it unfolds spicy flowers, vanilla, vetiver and musk. Read more...
Get your own private Imperial Fountain
MARCH 2009. The big exclusive 2009 offering from Guerlain is called Mon Précieux Nectar, a rich, plushy gourmand fragrance in Parfum concentration of orange blossom, jasmine, bitter almond, sandalwood, incense, amber, vanilla and musk. It's sold in a one-litre crystal bottle named La Fontaine Impériale after the Champs-Élysées store's sophisticated tube system for filling empty bee bottles. The "fountain" container is accompanied by a small vaporizer placed in a black leather box. 100 numbered bottles, each at 6000 €.
Three new reinterpretations
MARCH 2009. This spring, Guerlain will release modern interpretations of three of its best-sellers — Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus, Habit Rouge Sport and Insolence Eau Glacée. Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus, a Japan-only launch, is Jean-Paul Guerlain's attempt to brighten up the dark, complex Mitsouko with a lotus flower note, often described as giving a "watery" floral-green effect. "Sporty" versions of men's fragrances have become increasingly common, and as Guerlain's famous horse rider perfume Habit Rouge has always been about sweaty bodies, a Sport version seems almost natural. The new Habit Rouge Sport is described as more "tonic and dynamic" than the original with added notes of bamboo, pink pepper and — surprisingly for a masculine fragrance — jasmine. Insolence Eau Glacée, the fourth reinterpretation of the original Insolence, features a cooling effect given by notes of green apple sorbet and citruses.
The little pink black dress
FEBRUARY 2009. Guerlain opens 2009 with what has already been judged as "very little black" and "very much pink": La Petite Robe Noire, a celebration of women's beloved "little black dress", described as a "fruity gourmand" Eau de Parfum with notes of lemon, liquorice, almond, rose, smoked tea, musk and vanilla. Limited edition and only available in Guerlain boutiques, 50 ml at 90 €. Read more...
Anniversary perfume gift
DECEMBER 2008. The ultimate celebratory act of Guerlain's 180th anniversary year is Jean-Paul Guerlain's creation of a non-commercial perfume gift offered to loyal customers and people within the industry. Simply called 180 Ans de Créations 1828-2008, this Eau de Parfum composition is quite simple: it represents what is perhaps the purest and most stripped-down form of the famous Guerlinade accord ever produced by Guerlain, combined with both bitterness and softness.
Litres of Exclusives
DECEMBER 2008. If one just can't get enough, it's always possible to order Guerlain's perfumes in big bee bottles. However, this doesn't go for the house's exclusive boutique lines that are only sold in special, fixed-size bottles. But on the occasion of the 180th anniversary, Guerlain now puts for sale the two lines Les Parisiennes and L'Art et la Matière in giant 1000 ml bee bottles. The number of bottles is limited, and some of the more confidential fragrances are made in as few as two bottles. Prices from 1000 €.
Old wine in old bottles
NOVEMBER 2008. Yet another anniversary (or Christmas?) collector series: Guerlain puts out three feminine best-sellers in the famous heart-shaped stopper bottle: Shalimar, Insolence and L'Instant Magic. The bottle is lacquered in matte gold and the label is the round L'Heure Bleue label but here designed with the nostalgic blue-and-silver 180th anniversary logo. Read more...
Habit Rouge L'Extrait
OCTOBER 2008. Guerlain now launches its ultimate answer to men's growing wish for intensity: Habit Rouge L'Extrait! Jean-Paul Guerlain's famous horse rider fragrance started out as a light, powdery Eau de Cologne in 1965 when masculine elegance meant subtlety and discreetness. But in the eighties, when modern men began wanting to stick out with more recognizable scents, a more animal and concentrated Habit Rouge Eau de Toilette was made. In 2003, an agarwood-deep Eau de Parfum version was launched. And now finally, as an almost natural consequence, Guerlain creates its first ever Parfum for men (if one doesn't count Jicky in): Habit Rouge L'Extrait with an enhanced rosewood and patchouli base that dramatically darkens the scent. Sold in 930 numbered 50 ml spray bottles for 290 €.
Collector case of 18 emblematic scents
OCTOBER 2008. It's Guerlain's second anniversary box set, but this time it's getting serious: a leather case with 18 of the house's emblematic perfumes, created from 1828 to nowadays: Eau de Cologne Impériale, Jicky, L’Heure Bleue, Mitsouko, Shalimar, Vetiver, Habit Rouge, Nahéma, Samsara, L’Instant de Guerlain, L’Instant de Guerlain pour Homme, Cologne du 68, Rose Barbare, Cuir Beluga, Angélique Noire, Bois d’Arménie, Iris Ganache and Insolence. Some might argue that the 1930s and 1990s are left out of this collection. Released in 204 copies October 15th for 2.500 €.
Parfum des Champs-Élysées — again!
OCTOBER 2008. Guerlain always knew how to celebrate themselves — then and now. The cornerstone of celebratory releases in the 180th anniversary year is a re-reedition of Jacques Guerlain's Parfum des Champs-Élysées (that has nothing to do with Guerlain's much yelled at 1996 mimosa-sweet Champs-Élysées), including the whole shebang of huge baccarat crystal turtle bottle (500 ml of pure Parfum!), gold label, handmade silk cord seal and red-coloured leather box. Parfum des Champs-Élysées, a floral, leathery chypre, was originally launched in 1914 to celebrate the opening of Guerlain's new luxuriant shop at Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris. This perfume's now almost legendary Art Nouveau bottle was meant as a tribute to the new shop, designed by ornamental belle époque style architect Charles Mewes: the turtle-shape was inspired by the slowness of the construction work! Parfum des Champs-Élysées was first reissued in 1995. Current batch is sold in just 24 pieces from October 15th at a price of 10.000 € each.
Insolence Eau de Parfum
SEPTEMBER 2008. Two years after the original raspberry-red Insolence, Guerlain now introduces an Eau de Parfum edition. Still flanked by Hillary Swank, it's officially described as "a new orchestration of the Insolence olfactory structure, direct to the heart with intense violet and deep orris, on a carnal and intimate base". Just words? Not according to Luca Turin's nose: he gives it top rating as "the most deliciously vulgar perfume on the market today" with an effect that is "simply huge". Gone should also be the much talked about "hairspray top note". Read more...
New Guerlain Homme — GRRR!
AUGUST 2008. Long time before its release, the new Guerlain Homme has been heavily debated on perfume blogs. Will Guerlain's new in-house perfumer Thierry Wasser live up to the rich Guerlain-heritage? Will the scent be a new Guerlain classic? Or a disappointment? Now it's here. The scent is in Guerlain's beloved herbaceous-woody field featuring lime, mint, cedarwood and — not least — floral notes combined with a surprising rhubarb accord. It's the first masculine Guerlain since Derby to contain mint, and like Derby, the new scent is said to reflect man's dual nature of human and animal. The advertising material is actually inspired by the Derby motto, "Barbaric and very civilised": it pictures a semi-brutal face accompanied with the line "For the animal that sleeps in you" (please note the formal French "vous"!). The video shows wild-exotic animals drinking around a jungle-waterhole — and among them a man! So is this the scent of the jungle? Well, to call it "animal" may be an exaggeration, but it certainly is a delicacy expressing the promised duality of greenness and sensuality. See the official campaign... Watch photos from the launch party...
By the way: fans are a bit confused, because Jean-Paul Guerlain in October 2007 told Le Figaro that he had "been preparing a new perfume for men during the last few months". What happened to that one? Or was he collaborating on Guerlain Homme?
The Guerlain Homme advertisement
LVMH wins over eBay.fr
JULY 2008. Since the middle of July 2008, no single perfume is to be found on sale on the French internet auction site eBay.fr. The reason is that eBay was recently fined severely by a French commercial court for de facto allowing the sale of counterfeit luxury goods. The court of appeals has confirmed the decision of the commercial court, maintaining the injunction that the auction site stop selling all perfume and cosmetic goods bearing a brand name from the LVMH luxury group, fake or not, namely: Dior, Givenchy, Guerlain and Kenzo. The injunction even forbids individuals from reselling genuine LVMH products that they received as gifts. This has sadly meant a goodbye to finding rare vintage Guerlain perfumes on eBay.fr. Luckily, other national eBay sites have not been affected by this. Read more...
Les Elixirs Charnels — a new feminine trio
JULY 2008. Although some claim that the Guerlain universe has an "intellectual edge", Guerlain perfumes are basically more about flesh than mind, more emotion than thinking, more play than conversation — just remember the flagship scent Shalimar, that deep, brutal-black, carnal smell. So why not just call a spade a spade and name a series of Eaux de Parfum "Les Elixirs Charnels" — carnal elixirs? This is what Christine Nagel and Sylvaine Delacourte have done. While Shalimar, like almost every Guerlain perfume, was created by a man and therefore reflected a man's not always very subtle vision of femininity, this new all-woman trio tries to illustrate a woman's different desires and fantasies seen from within the woman — and therefore perhaps more sophisticated and elegant than Shalimar was ever able to. Named after olfactory families, each scent depicts one "typical feminine fantasy": Gourmand Coquin (the playful, sweet-toothed girl), Chypre Fatal (the self-assured, serious professional) and Oriental Brûlant (the burning hot seducer). Released in October 2008. Read more...
Guerlain in party mood
JUNE 2008. Guerlain goes berserk in a new, very un-French, celebration video to promote the 180th anniversary of the house. The video camera follows each and every corner and employee of the big company, and we don't see the familiar Photoshop-stylized perfume bottles, but instead smiling faces of all the people that actually produce and ship all those fragrant gems to Guerlain-lovers around the world.
Guerlain gives out "Secrets de parfumeur"
MAY 2008. As the 180th anniversary year is progressing, Guerlain continues celebrating it. Lately, the house has given out copies of a handsome miniature book called "Secrets de Parfumeur". It consists of four encased "volumes" called "The Guerlain Saga", "The art of raw materials", "The art of the bottles" and "The art of scenting". A tiny "perfume dictionary" is also included. It's basically advertising material, but still a charming gesture, as it contains some interesting details and beautiful images.
Thierry Wasser is Guerlain's new in-house perfumer
MAY 2008. Since Jean-Paul Guerlain's retirement in 2002, Guerlain has been without an in-house "nose" and instead worked with different external perfumers like Maurice Roucel and Béatrice Piquet. Until then, every Guerlain perfume had been created by a master perfumer from within the family, but no one was able to continue this tradition after Jean-Paul Guerlain. The 14th of May, Guerlain's chief executive officer Laurent Boillot and Jean-Paul Guerlain announced the breaking news that Thierry Wasser has been named the exclusive perfumer for Guerlain as of June 2008 — the first person ever outside the Guerlain family to inherit this position. Jean-Paul Guerlain, consultant to the company's presidency on creation and raw materials, will continue "guiding Guerlain and its new perfumer to insure the timeless Guerlain signature that is known all over the world since 1828", reassured Boillot. Thierry Wasser has already worked on Iris Ganache and Quand Vient la Pluie for Guerlain. His first masculine Guerlain fragrance, Guerlain Homme, will be released this summer, and he tells L'Express that he's already working on the next big feminine Guerlain perfume. Read more...
"Les 4 Saisons" anniversary box in 85 copies
MAY 2008. 2008 marks the 180th anniversary of Guerlain — Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain opened his first shop in Rue de Rivoli in Paris in 1828. The first gesture to celebrate this event is released May the 15th — a highly limited box set of four different perfumes representing the four seasons (yes, Guerlain had to make the hackneyed but apparently inevitable Vivaldish "four seasons collection"): Muguet de Printemps, Quand Vient l'Été (formerly known as Voile d'Été), Brume d'Automne and Winter Delice. The perfumes are presented in a black leather box in 35 ml crystal Baccarat heart-shaped stopper bottles. The bottles have been engraved by hand with a small drawing illustrating each season. Brume d'Automne — "fall mist" — is a new creation, described as aromatic, flowery and woody with pink pepper, coriander, rosemary, ylang-ylang, absinthe, sandalwood and vetiver rhizome. The remaining three fragrances are reissues. According to the official brochure, all four perfumes bear Jean-Paul Guerlain's signature. With only 85 copies made and a price of 2500 €, this release is targeted towards the serious collector!
The Guide and Guerlain
APRIL 2008. Wearing perfume is "a substitute for having an orchestra follow you about playing the theme song of your choice". This and similarly poetic phrases are to be found in the long awaited "Perfumes: The Guide" by perfume expert Luca Turin and his wife Tania Sanchez, that finally arrived the 10th of April. The book contains general essays about perfume and impressionistic reviews of hundreds of perfumes, including fifty-seven Guerlain fragrances whose ratings can be found below. It's remarkable to notice that one out of eight of the guide's top-rated perfumes is a Guerlain. Turin-followers will also notice that he has changed his view on Nahéma — while it now gets five stars, in his French 1994 guide he mocked it as "lacking personality". And why he can't appreciate the masterly treated vanilla in Spiritueuse Double Vanille is a mystery to many. Maybe he will change his view on that one in due time too. 
Après L'Ondée, Chamade, Derby, Eau de Guerlain, Habit Rouge, L'Heure Bleue, Insolence EdP, Jicky, Mitsouko, Nahéma, Shalimar, Vol de Nuit.
Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune, Attrape Cœur, Candide Effluve, Chant d'Arômes, Eau de Cologne du Coq, Eau de Cologne Impériale, Eau de Fleurs de Cédrat, Elixir Charnel Oriental Brûlant, Guerlain Homme, Héritage, Insolence, L'Instant de Guerlain, L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme, La Petite Robe Noire, Mouchoir de Monsieur, Plus Que Jamais Guerlain, Quand Vient la Pluie, Samsara, Sous le Vent, Vetiver, Vetiver pour Elle.
L'Âme d'un Héros, Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca, Aqua Allegoria Lilia Bella, Bois d'Arménie, Chamade pour Homme, Cologne du 68, Cuir Beluga, Guerlinade, Habit Rouge Sport, Idylle, L'Instant Fleur de Mandarine, L'Instant Magic, Jardins de Bagatelle, Liu, Nuit d'Amour, Philtre d'Amour, Quand Vient l'Été, Rose Barbare.
Angélique Noire, Aqua Allegoria Angélique Lilas, Aqua Allergoria Figue Iris, Aqua Allegoria Laurier Reglisse, Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basilic, Cherry Blossom Fruity, Cruel Gardenia, Elixir Charnel Chypre Fatal, Elixir Charnel Gourmand Coquin, Insolence Eau Glacee, Metalys, My Insolence, Spiritueuse Double Vanille.
Aqua Allegoria Cherry Blossom, Aqua Allegoria Grosellina, Aqua Allegoria Lemon Fresca, Aqua Allegoria Pivoine Magnifica, Aqua Allegoria Tiaré Mimosa, Aqua Allegoria Tutti Kiwi, Eau de Shalimar, Champs-Élysées, Mayotte, Vetiver Extrême.
The guide's front cover shows Guerlain's famous blue crystal "bow-tie bottle", originally made for Coque d'Or (1937) and later used for Kriss (1942) and Dawamesk (1945).
New box design
SPRING 2008. Over the past months, Guerlain has introduced a new box design for all its perfumes, both classic range, exclusive lines and limited editions. Bottle design has not changed. Since 1828, Guerlain has changed its design several times, and the present one is perhaps the most minimalistic and elegant ever. It consists of a plain or discreetly striped box with a thin vertical line centred on the upper part of the front. The line ends in a small circle with the "double G" symbol inside. The new design has led some collectors to erroneously believe that they've come across a rare vintage edition.
Eau de Shalimar
APRIL 2008. The newly released Eau de Shalimar has already become known as "the newest derivative" of Guerlain's famous flagship fragrance from 1925. But according to Guerlain's own information, it's only a repackaging of the successful Shalimar Eau Légère Parfumée, composed by Mathilde Laurent in 2003. Jean-Paul Guerlain reworked it slightly in 2004 and the fragrance was then attributed to him. Like Habit Rouge Eau de Toilette Légère, it's a brighter, younger and more joyful scent than the original, still recognizably Shalimar, but with a tangy lemony accord added to the top notes. Extremely well constructed, Eau de Shalimar could be the choice for the new generation of Guerlain lovers who find the old Shalimar too — old. Read more...Figue-Iris & Laurier-Réglisse
APRIL 2008. Spring has made way for two new releases in the popular Aqua Allegoria line. This line, particularly dear to Jean-Paul Guerlain because the whole line should imitate "a walk in the garden", consists of light, fresh perfumes varying from carefree and simple to full-of-personality. Figue-Iris is made by Jean-Paul Guerlain, blending the green freshness of fig with warm, powdery orris. Laurier-Réglisse, created by Marie Salamagne and Sylvaine Delacourte, combines the sweetness of liquorice and the freshness of laurel with bergamot, orange blossom, violet and galbanum. Read more...
Cruel GardeniaMARCH 2008. The newest addition to the prestigious "L'Art et la Matière" line, a line devoted to highly artistic reflections on raw materials, is the evocative Cruel Gardenia. Created by Randa Hammami in collaboration with Sylvaine Delacourte, it has immediately gained high praises. It's said to suggest the dangers of the tropics, stemming from the intense and feverish scent of gardenia weaved into a sexy, musky skin-scent. Read more...
Habit RougeHabit de Métal
MARCH 2008. No, "Habit de Métal" is not a new version of the original Habit Rouge, but a re-dressing of the old Eau de Toilette to celebrate Father's Day — in a lacquered, metallic-red bottle encased in a silver outer box. The package is described as "modern, quasi-futurist, and geometric". Read more...
L'Âme d'un HérosFEBRUARY 2008. By some erroneously described as "the new masculine fragrance by Guerlain", L'Âme d'un Héros ("the spirit of a hero") is simply a re-introduction of Coriolan from 1998. According to Guerlain's own information, the new name has not changed the scent at all. In spite of a sophisticated mix of cold and warm notes of lemon leaves, juniper berries and everlasting flower, Coriolan wasn't a big commercial succes. Consequently, it was soon discontinued, to some men's disappointment. It can be viewed as one of the most underestimated of the Guerlain compositions, but has now been given a second chance in the Les Parisiennes collection. Read more...
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